Students whip up dairy creativity

Students from WA College of Agriculture have taken out a national prize for the Great Ocean Road Careers Made Here Curds and Why program, winning $100 for their school.

The program is designed to bring real life science to the classroom by examining the cheese-making process and the chemistry of great tasting cheese, and saw more than 600 students from 25 schools across Australia participate.

Students used their newly found knowledge of dairy and science to design a billboard promoting the Australian dairy industry.

Burnie High School in Tasmania took out the first prize of $500 while Launceston Christian School also in Tasmania came second receiving $250 for their school.

After being judged among the most insightful and creative in the country, WA College of Agriculture’s ‘dairy billboard’ won third place.

“We are extremely proud of our Year 10 students who jumped at the opportunity to learn about how chemistry is involved in cheese-making, and showed their creativity to win this award for our school,” WA College of Agriculture science teacher Colin Newton said.

Great Ocean Road senior brand manager Tracy Wong said the program educated the next generation about the science of dairy.

“It is great to see so many young Australians interested in learning about the important role science plays in the dairy industry,” Ms Wong said.

“The Curds and Why program gives students a practical understanding of how chemistry is involved in everyday processes such as making curds and cheese, while also showing the breadth of career opportunities available in the dairy industry.”